unhinged

/ʌnˈhɪndʒd/

//ʌnˈhɪndʒd// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"unhinged" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unhinged” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,412. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,412
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mentally ill or unstable; deranged; insane.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unhinged · unhinged · English

unhinged · rank #28,412 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,412
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH umbilical

Nearest frequency peer: umbilical (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “unhinged”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “unhinged” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

unhinged vs unchanged
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for unhinged
PropertyValue
Headwordunhinged
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈhɪndʒd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,412
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “unhinged”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unhingedlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “umbilical” (#28,411), “uninterested” (#28,413), “tutu” (#28,409). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unhinged” is #28,412. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around unhinged (IPA /ʌnˈhɪndʒd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,412 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Mentally ill or unstable; deranged; insane.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for unhinged, with forms such as "nuhinged", "uhninged", and "unhhinged". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "unchanged", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From unhinge + -ed. The correct English form is unhinged, spelled U-N-H-I-N-G-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mentally ill or unstable; deranged; insane.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how unhinged appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The revolution of 1830 and the discomforts of his private life so preyed upon his mind that his reason became unhinged, and he had to be removed to an asylum near Caen, where he died in 1834.
  2. After the screening, a large crowd filled the street outside the theater, playing spot-the-sublebrity with some of the film's prime characters, including Nirvana photographer Alice Wheeler and Love's estranged (and notoriously unhinged) father.

Etymology

From unhinge + -ed.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuhinged
  • uhninged
  • unhhinged
  • unhigned
  • unhinegd
  • unhingde
  • unhingedd
  • unhingged
  • unhinnged
  • unhniged
  • unihnged
  • unnhinged

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unhinged - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nuhinged2uhninged2unhhinged1unhigned2unhinegd2unhingde2unhingedd1unhingged1
Edit distance from "unhinged"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unhinged"?
"unhinged" is spelled U-N-H-I-N-G-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈhɪndʒd/.
What does "unhinged" mean?
As an adjective, "unhinged" means: Mentally ill or unstable; deranged; insane.
What words are commonly confused with "unhinged"?
"unhinged" is commonly confused with "unchanged". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "unhinged"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unhinged" is /ʌnˈhɪndʒd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "unhinged"?
From unhinge + -ed. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "unhinged", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tailgate#28,398synaptic#28,397subclass#28,390abridged#28,441

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

sneezing12 variantsroadshow12 variantscatapult12 variantspopulism12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list